Putin Arrives In China For State Visit, Praises Unprecedented Moscow-Beijing Relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in China on Tuesday for a state visit, with a video message before his arrival proclaiming “an unprecedented level” of relations between Moscow and Beijing and cooperation on an “equal basis.”

“Days before Donald Trump was elected for his second term as US president in 2024, he pledged to “un-unite” Russia and China as he accused his predecessor, Joe Biden, of bringing them closer together”

Al Jazeera

The Washington Post frames the back-to-back visits to Beijing by the American and Russian presidents as highlighting how China’s Xi Jinping is “the world leader to be reckoned with and courted.”

Al Jazeera

Xinhua says the visit is expected to elevate bilateral relations further and inject “much-needed stability and positive momentum into a turbulent world,” while also noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.

Xinhua adds that since 2013, the two leaders have met more than 40 times on bilateral and multilateral occasions, and it describes energy cooperation as “a cornerstone of China-Russia ties.”

The BBC describes a “highly secretive relationship” and says Putin will be returning to Beijing this week, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation between Russia and China.

In the BBC’s account of the relationship’s imbalance, Alexander Gabuev says, “Russia is fully in China's pocket, and China can dictate the terms.”

BBC

The Washington Post, by contrast, reports that Putin beamed out a video message emphasizing “an unprecedented level” of relations and cooperation on an “equal basis,” and it highlights how Xi is courted through back-to-back visits.

The BBC also quotes a conversation in Tiananmen Square in which Putin’s interpreter was heard saying, “Human organs can be continuously transplanted.”

Xinhua says this year’s milestones include the 30th anniversary of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, and it links them to “mutually beneficial cooperation.”

“Soon after President Donald Trump returned from his state visit to China, the country is hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin to stabilize relations between Moscow and Beijing”

Daily Express US

Xinhua also cites China’s Ministry of Commerce to say bilateral trade reached approximately 228 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, exceeding the 200-billion-dollar threshold for the third consecutive year, and it adds that China has remained Russia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.

The Global Times editorial, meanwhile, says Putin’s visit is set to run from May 19 to 20 and calls the relationship “at its best period in history,” while asserting that the China-Russia relationship is “not directed against any third party.”

It also claims that “the more turbulent the world becomes, the more necessary China-Russia cooperation appears,” and it frames the stakes as safeguarding “international fairness and justice” as geopolitical conflicts intensify and the risk of “the law of the jungle” grows.